Police warn teens after Short Pump robbery

HENRICO, Va. (WTVR)–It’s a parking lot where parents typically drop off their teens weekend nights to catch a movie.

But area residents may be re-thinking that because police are looking for two gun-toting suspects, a man and a woman, who robbed two 16-year-olds of their valuables last Friday.

A big clue comes from a 7-11 across the street from downtown Short Pump. A snapshot was taken from surveillance video, police say, just before the crime. Police say the male in the image is one of two suspects that pulled a gun on the teens in the movie theater parking lot.

“Both were armed with hand guns, asked for personal items and walked off, ” said Henrico County Lt. Mark Banks.

“I don’t know how I’d react. It sounds pretty frightening,” said Alan DeNardo, a West End resident. He said the teens probably weren’t prepared for that encounter. “This seems to be a very nice area, but you never know.”

“Unfortunately no area is immune to crime: it happens all over,” said Banks. “Our job as a police department is to hop on things quickly as soon as they happen no matter where they are.”

Police hope by releasing the man’s photo, it will trigger someone’s memory. They say there may have been some people in the parking lot that saw an exchange between the suspects and the victims, without knowing exactly what was going down.

Police say it’s a good time to have a talk with your kids about safety. “Especially in this day and age where we tend to hold our children a bit closer than we use to. Let them live life,” said Banks. “You know, I don’t want to give the perception there’s a crime spree happening. but ask them to be vigilant. If you get the feeling that something isn’t right, it probably isn’t.”

Police want to remind folks tonight, especially teenagers not to be heroes. If confronted, comply with the demands. A life is worth more than an iPhone and a couple of bucks, police say.